Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded 13,987 migrant registrations in 2025, which represents a 44 percent drop compared to 2024, according to the Situation Report on Migrant Mobility for December 2025 published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
According to the data collected during December, the largest number of migrants still enter BiH illegally from Serbia (66 percent), while 34 percent of respondents entered from Montenegro.
The average stay in BiH is 17 days, and the main direction of movement remains towards the northwest of the country and the border with Croatia.
IOM’s teams note that illegal entries into BiH most often occur in the Bratunac area, mostly at night, after which migrants use taxi or bus transportation to continue their journey.
The continuous departure of migrants towards Bihać was recorded at the bus station in Sarajevo, while interceptions in the Grud area confirmed active routes towards Croatia along the southern border.
Who are the migrants in BiH?
The average age of the surveyed migrants is 26 years, and even 99 percent are men. The most represented countries of origin are Afghanistan (25%), Sudan (18%), Morocco (13%), Egypt (12%) and Bangladesh (7%).
The reasons for leaving home countries are mainly economic (50%), but also war and conflicts (38%), personal violence (28%) and limited access to basic services (16%).
The respondents traveled an average of 368 days before arriving in BiH, and as many as 82 percent of them traveled in groups.
Border crossing attempts and smuggling
Almost 30 percent of the respondents indicated that they had tried to cross the border with Croatia at least once, with an average of two attempts, while as many as 97 percent of them stated that they would try again.
More than half of the migrants (59%) admitted that they used the services of smugglers at least once, most often on the route from Turkey to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The average price of such an arrangement was 4,273 euros per person, and it most often included illegal border crossings and organized transportation.
Italy is the most frequent destination, the number of Sudanese citizens is growing
The survey shows that Italy is the most common final destination, especially for citizens of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Egypt. Most Sudanese want to continue their journey to France, while some migrants from Iran and the Palestinian territories prefer Germany.
The sudden increase in the number of Sudanese nationals draws special attention in the report.
During 2025, 394 were registered, compared to only 34 in 2024. All interviewed Sudanese cited the war as the reason for leaving the country, and their route most often led through Libya and Greece to the Western Balkans.
More than half of migrants with protection needs
During December, IOM conducted 1,173 vulnerability assessments, with 56 percent of migrants identified as persons with increased risks and protection needs. The most common needs relate to long-term travel, lack of adequate accommodation, food and basic medical assistance, he writes Klix.
